Method of making vehicle wheels

ABSTRACT

A method for the manufacture of a pneumatic tire and wheel assembly comprising welding a rim having a circumferential well portion to a wheel body portion at a position on the rim on or adjacent one flank of the well portion. A pneumatic tire is mounted on the rim by a method employing the well portion to enable the tire beads to pass over a rim flange, and subsequently at base the well portion of the rim is subjected to axial compresion so as to reduce the axial width of the well portion.

United States Patent [191 Mitchell I METHOD OF MAKING VEHICLE WHEELS [75] Inventor: William Eric Mitchell, Coventry,

England [73] Assignee: Dunlop Limited, London, England [22] Filed: July 12, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 271,148

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 123,513, March 18,

l97l,-Pat. NO. 3,708,847.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 15, 1971 Great Britain 33164/71 Mar. 21, 1970 Great Britain 13746/70 [52] U.S. Cl. 29/l59.0l, 152/379 [51] int. Cl B2111 U02, B21k 1/32 [58] Field of Search 29/1591, 159 R, 159.01; 152/379, 381, 378, 382

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,588,981 6/1971 Beharrell et al. 29/1590] 1 June 25, 1974 Verdier 29/l59.0l X Mitchell 29/159.01

Primary Examiner-Charles W. Lanham Assistant Examiner--Victor A. DiPalma Attorney, Agent, or Firrn Steye ns, Davis, Miller & Mosher ABSTRACT A method for the manufacture of a pneumatic tire and wheel assembly comprising welding a rim having a circumferential well portion to a wheel body portion at a position on the rim on or adjacent one flank of the well portion. A pneumatic tire is mounted on the rim by a method employing the well portion to enable the tire beads to pass over a rim flange, and subsequently at base the well portion of the rim is subjected to axial compresion so as to reduce the axial width of the well portion.

A 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 1 METHOD OF MAKING VEHICLE WHEELS This invention relates to wheels and to pneumatic tire and wheel assemblies, and this application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 125,513 filed Mar. 18, 1971 now'U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,847.

One object of the present invention is to provide a method for the manufacture of a wheel incorporating a rim having a pneumatic tire permanently mounted thereon, the rim having in cross-section a substantially flat or well-less base portion.

According to one aspect of the invention a method for the manufacture of a pneumatic tire and wheel assembly comprises welding a rim having a circumferential well portion to a wheel body portion at a position on the rim on or adjacent-one flank of the well portion,

mounting a pneumatic tire on the rim by a method employing the well portion to enable the tire beads to pass over a rim flange, and subsequently subjecting at least the well portion of the rim to axial compression so as to reduce the axial width of the well portion.

The radially outer part of the wheel body may be fitted adjacent the inboard flank of the well portion (the term inboard" having reference to the orientation of the wheel as fitted in its normal position on a vehicle). In this case the rim may conveniently be welded to an axially turned flange of the body portion by a series of spot welds formed in the base of the rim, in a position adjacent the central region of the rim considered in its finished state.

ln an alternative method, the radially outer part of the body portion may be locatedadjacent the outboard flank of the well portion, and in order to avoid distortion of the adjacent bead seating region of the rim by the subsequent welding operation, the spot welds may be made through the adjacent flank of the well portion.

The invention also provides a wheel and pneumatic tire assembly manufactured by a method as defined above.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wheel constituting a first embodiment of the invention in two stages of manufacture;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a wheel rim showing a wheel constituting a second embodiment of the invention in two'stages of manufacture.

In a preferred embodiment, shown in FIG. 1 a wheel rim 1 is formed with a pair of tire bead retaining flanges 2 and 3 of conventional form and is of cylindrical or flat-base profile apart from a circumferential well portion 4 (shown dotted) which is formed at one side of the rim center line and which is of generally semicircular profile, terminating at its outboard side adjacent the toe of the bead-seating portion 5.

A wheel body portion 6 formed from sheet metal and of generally conventional profile is formed in its radially outer region with an axially turned flange 7 which is fitted tightly within the flat base portion 8 of the wheel rim 1 and which incorporates a generally frustoconical outer portion to abut the inboard flank of the well in the final state of the rim as shown in full lines. The rim 1 and the body portion 6 are then permanently secured together by a series of 8 evenly-spaced spot ally outer portions 12 and 13 of the flanks of the well welds 9 positioned around the central region of the rim base.

After the wheel rim 1 has been secured to the wheel body portion, 5, a pneumatic tire is fitted to the rim in the conventional manner. using the well portion 4 to enable the tire beads 10 and 11 to be passed'over the outboard rim flange 8. The wheel and tire assembly is then placed in a press (not shown) between two dies which fit within the bead seating portions 5 of the rim and engage the flanks of the well portion 4. The dies are formed so that when closed together they compress the radially outer portions 12 and 13 of the flanks of the well 4 into contact with one another, the radially inner portion 14 of the well thus being formed into a bead of approximately circular cross-section, the inboard flank 13 of the well portion being flattened against the frusto-conical outer portion 15 of the wheel body. The tire beads 10 and 11 are provided with circumferentially extending reinforcement wires 16 and 17 and circumferentially extending lip portions 18 and 19 forming extensions to the toes of the beads. The lip portion 18 is arranged to be wedged between the radiln moving the dies together as described above the well portion 4 of the rim is axially compressed and virtually disappears, the bead seating portions simultaneously being moved towards oneanother so that after the pressing operation the rim 1 will be of narrower width and of generally flat-based profile as shown. in full lines in FIG. 1. I

Access for an inflation valve (not shown) located in the flat base portion of the rim is provided through an opening in the wheel body portion, the valve preferably having an L-shaped stem which projects through the opening.

The rim and tire assembly produced by the method described above has a number of particularly advantageous features: it can be manufactured and sold as a unit at a relatively low cost, and is intended to be replaced as a unit, eliminating the necessity when changing tires of carrying out the operations of de-mounting and mounting, a tire on the rim. An advantage in terms of vehicle design is that the rim is flat-based, and the absence of the nonnal well portion thus enables a relatively larger brake to be accommodated within the confines of the rim.

A further advantage of the method described above is that by the use of accurately machined dies which engage the radially inner surface of the bead-seating portions of the wheel rim as well as the flanks of the well portion it is possible to true the rim simultaneously with the axial compression of the rim, thus reducing any eccentricity which may have arisen during the previous rim-forming operations.

The provision of a flat based profile in the finished rim has the advantage that axial displacement of the tire beads under cornering forces is more effectively resisted. This reduces the rate of loss of air between the rim and tire which may occur in the event of a puncture with a well-based rim, due to axial displacement of the tire beads. The resistance offered to axial displacement of the tire beads also substantially assists the tire to run true when in the deflated condition.

In a second embodiment of the invention, shown in FIG. 2, the rim 20 and tire assembly-is produced in a broadly similar manner to that described with reference to the first embodiment described above, except that the radially outer part 22 of the body portion 21 is located against the outboard flank 23 of the well 24 instead of the inboard flank 25. In assembling the rim 20 to the body portion 21, spot welds 26 are provided in the outboard flank 23 of the well 24 to secure the rim 20 to the body portion 21, and the radially outer edge 22 of the body portion 21 is turned axially outwardly to lie within the outboard bead-seating portion 27 of the wheel rim 20.

Subsequently the tire is mounted and the rim portion 20 is subjected to axial compression as in the first embodiment described, and the well portion 24 is reduced to a bead lying adjacent the inboard side of the outer part of the wheel body portion 21.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A method for the manufacture of a pneumatic tire and wheel assembly comprising welding a rim having a circumferential well portion to a wheel body portion at a position on the rim on or adjacent one flank of the well portion, mounting a pneumatic tire on the rim by a method employing the well portion to enable the tire beads to pass over a rim flange, and subsequently subjecting at least the well portion of the rim to axial compression so as to reduce the axial width of the well portron.

2. A method for the manufacture of a wheel and tire assembly according to claim 1 comprising fitting the radially outer part of the wheel body adjacent the in board flank of the well portion.

3. A method according to claim 1 comprising locating the radially outer part of the body portion of the wheel adjacent the outboard flank of the weld portion.

4. A method according to claim 1 comprising providing the wheel body with an axially turned flange and attaching said flange to the rim by means of a series of spot welds fonned in the base of the rim.

5. A method according to claim 1 comprising subjecting the well portion of the rim to axial compression by placing the tire and rim assembly in a press between two dies, said dies fitting within the bead seating portions of the rim and engaging the flanks of the well portion and subsequently moving the dies together thereby compressing the radially outer portions of the flanks to the well into contact with one another. 

1. A method for the manufacture of a pneumatic tire and wheel assembly comprising welding a rim having a circumferential well portion to a wheel body portion at a position on the rim on or adjacent one flank of the well portion, mounting a pneumatic tire on the rim by a method employing the well portion to enable the tire beads to pass over a rim flange, and subsequently subjecting at least the well portion of the rim to axial compression so as to reduce the axial width of the well portion.
 2. A method for the manufacture of a wheel and tire assembly according to claim 1 comprising fitting the radially outer part of the wheel body adjacent the inboard flank of the well portion.
 3. A method according to claim 1 comprising locating the radially outer part of the body portion of the wheel adjacent the outboard flank of the weld portion.
 4. A method according to claim 1 comprising providing the wheel body with an axially turned flange and attaching said flange to the rim by means of a series of spot welds formed in the base of the rim.
 5. A method according to claim 1 comprising subjecting the well portion of the rim to axial compression by placing the tire and rim assembly in a press between two dies, said dies fitting within the bead seating portions of the rim and engaging the flanks of the well portion and subsequently moving the dies together thereby compressing the radially outer portions of the flanks to the well into contact with one another. 